Families of deceased persons can keep the phone number for one year after their use ends, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi announced on Sunday.
Notably, this includes people killed in the Swords of Iron War against Hamas or “Operation Northern Arrows” against Hezbollah.
Rule 64 of the Communications Regulations obligates mobile telephone providers to reserve the phone number of a customer who ended a contract for 90 days from the date of the termination call, and to not assign the number to anyone else during that period.
This is to allow the customer to get his phone number back if he regrets ending the contract.
The ministry’s amendment allows the period a phone number is frozen to be extended from 90 days to a year at the request of the heir or executor of the customer’s estate if the reason for the termination of the contract is the death of the customer.
The amendment came about as a result of the request of families of fallen soldiers. Joining the request were Knesset members David Bitan of the Likud Party and Tatiana Mazarsky of the Yesh Atid Party.
